This was the first year I ever watched from beginning to end, "American Idol"! I always thought it cheesy and more concerned to expose the drama between the judges than finding the "talent" of the year.BUT I'm more surprised that I found Ellen DeGenernerous an excellent judge of talent & well-knowledged in popular music. ...so as the ball bounces, I watched Ellen and found her with a guest band one day ...and again I was surprised....Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are a welcomed throwback to that "golden age" of the early 70's where the music was "perfect".

I hope I'm not overstating this observation... but I think you could see hat designs of this level of wit and style sitting on top of the heads of beautiful models on the runways of Paris.I've been a long-time fan of the designers of the UK, from my early exposure to the Beatles, Barnaby Street, Mary Quant...and please don't ask me what I did when I first heard of Alexander McQueen's death...balled like a baby for days.There is something lovingly cock-eyed & irreverent in their view of "the classic" or "historical" references that always returns to an exquisite interpretation of "modern".Zara Carpenter is inspired by her surroundings of the historic naval port of Chatham and her favorite artists & writers; Mark Ryden, Edward Gorey, Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, & Angela Carter.She makes her own hats from found objects & materials and also mends & repairs antique hats. Please feel free to contact her if you would like to have her create something custom & special for you.http://www.etsy.com/shop/zaracarpenter

ammiki.com... a new beautiful gallery

About Me

Hi I'm Ellen, aka: streetnoodles. I have finally gotten more comfortable writing in this thing. When I first started it was my refuge to communicate to anyone because I felt so isolated having just moved from the Bay Area. Though this is my childhood home, if my husband & I had not felt a need to find affordable housing, we would still be up north. Strange though, after a short time, this childhood home that I tried so hard to run away from has become such a treasure trove of inspiration and sense of completion.
So here you will find tons of videos & write-ups of people & places I find intriquing in some way along with snippets of the life & times of me. I hope you'll find the mixture palatable :D